Cloudy, breezy later today, high 60

Today will start out very similar to yesterday...just a quiet, cloudy weekend morning. A scattered shower may develop later in the afternoon, but most of the day should be dry before Sandy makes its approach into the mid-Atlantic. High temperatures reach 60 degrees. It will gradually get more breezy throughout the day, with 25-30 mph wind gusts possible in western Massachusetts by the end of the afternoon.

Hurricane Sandy is expected to make landfall near Atlantic City, NJ on Monday evening. It will then move through the Baltimore/Washington DC area before turning northward and stalling out over central Pennsylvania through Tuesday and Wednesday.

Rain from this storm will be with us starting Monday, with heavy/steady pockets at times. In total, expect a general 2 - 3 inches in the Springfield area through Tuesday, with isolated higher amounts possible, especially towards the Berkshires. The steadiest rain is expected Monday evening.

Sustained winds will reach 30-35 mph on Monday, with gusts up to 50 mph possible in the Springfield area...60 mph in the hilltowns. The winds should ease up a little bit for the remainder of the storm, dropping to a breezy 15-25 mph by the end of the day Tuesday, with the potential for steady rain eventually coming to an end on Wednesday...although scattered showers will stick around as this storm lingers/dissipates through Friday.

Scattered power outages are possible, although it should not be quite as widespread across western Massachusetts as last year's October Nor'easter. Minor flooding is likely this week in the typically-prone places...low-lying areas, urban areas, underpasses, and near creeks and streams. Washed out roadways are also a possibility over hilly terrain.